Safety device in the pedal region of a motor car

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a pedal box for motor vehicles with a pedal axis comprising partial axes separated in the axial direction and a bearing bracket in which the pedal axis is enclosed and mounted. The bearing bracket is fixed to a crash-deformable chassis section, in particular, a front bulkhead. The partial axes are connected by the arms thereof to a brace on the outer surface of the sidewalls of the beating bracket. Spring forces act on the partial axes in the axial direction and a stay, connected to a crash stable part of the chassis, n particular a cross-support, engages with part of the pedal box.

[0001] The invention relates to pedal supports for motor vehicles according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Pedal supports of this type are known in the prior art. German Patent Document DE 100 16 347.5 discloses a pedal support having a pedal spindle which has partial spindles spaced apart in the axial direction, and a bracket in which the pedal spindle is mounted in an enclosed manner, the pedal spindle, which consists of two half-spindles, alternatively being integrated on the pedal lever or bracket. In the case of pedal supports of this type, the bracket is usually fastened to the front splash wall of the bodywork, which wall partitions off the footwell in motor vehicles, which is also the structural space for pedal mechanisms, from the front in the direction of travel. The splash wall belongs to the bodywork parts, which, in the event of an accident, in particular a frontal crash, are at risk of deformation and are pressed into the footwell. There is thereby the risk of the bracket, which is fastened to the splash wall, and the pedal, which is mounted in it, being pressed in the direction of the driver's legs. There is thus an increased risk of injury to the driver's legs or feet.

[0003] A pedal support described at the beginning is known from German Patent Document DE 196 31 868 A1. An arrangement is disclosed therein for the mounting of a pedal lever which is arranged in a suspended manner and comprises a bracket, which is fastened to the splash wall of a motor vehicle, and two longitudinal struts whose inner sides contain bearing stubs on which the pedal spindle, which is of hollow design, is placed. Furthermore, an expanding device is provided which is designed, for example, as a wedge with sliding surfaces and supporting points for the wedge at the footwell-side ends of the struts. In the event of a collision, the support points slide along the sliding surfaces, as a result of which the longitudinal struts are pressed apart and the spindle stubs are pulled out of the hollow spindle, so that the pedal spindle can yield downward.

[0004] German Patent Document DE 42 44 386 A1 discloses a pedal mechanism for a vehicle, which has a pedal strut having two strut limbs which are arranged at a distance from each other and between which a pedal is pivotably mounted, a pedal spindle being inserted by its two ends into spindle bearings which are open toward the pedal spindle, and the pedal strut being provided in the region of its two ends with sockets for fastening the pedal mechanism between stationary components of the vehicle. Each strut limb has a region of deformation, the spindle bearings, which are connected to the strut limbs, being disengaged from the pedal spindle on exceeding a force, which is introduced into the pedal strut via at least one of the stationary components. It is ensured by the pedal being disengaged that, in the event of a collision, a risk of injury to the driver is largely eliminated.

[0005] The technical problem on which the invention is based is to design a pedal support described at the beginning in such a manner that the pedal support is simple, is constructed from few parts and is functionally reliable during normal operation and, in the event of a crash, the risk of injury to the driver due to displaced pedals protruding into the footwell is avoided or at least reduced.

[0006] Starting from the pedal support described at the beginning, this problem is solved by a pedal support having the combination of features according to claim 1.

[0007] A pedal support of this type has the advantage that it is simple, consists of few parts, can easily be fitted and is functionally reliable during normal operation, the partial spindles of the pedal spindle being released from their mounting in the bracket in the event of the bodywork part to which the bracket is fastened being deformed into the footwell, with the result that the pedal, which has been cast loose, can fall onto the floor of the footwell. This substantially reduces the risk of injury to the driver of the motor vehicle in the event of a crash, in particular of a frontal impact. According to the invention, two alternative proposals are presented for the solution.

[0008] The proposal according to claim 2 envisages that at least one tensioned compression spring is arranged in the axial direction between the partial spindles and bears against the inner end surfaces of the partial spindles, that the parallel limbs of the clamp are connected fixedly to the stay, and at their end protruding outward over the side walls of the bracket, the partial spindles have a thickened end which, together with the parallel limbs, forms a device for the releasable fixing of the partial spindles to the limbs. In this arrangement, in the event of a deformation of the splash wall into the footwell, the fixing of the partial spindles is released, so that the spring force acting in the axial direction can eject the partial spindles from the mounting in the bracket. Embodiments for this solution proposal are described in patent claims 3 and 4.

[0009] Another solution proposal envisages, according to claim 5, that the parallel clamp limbs are resilient and, to the rear, in the deformation direction, of the connecting point to the partial spindles, are bent obliquely to the bracket side walls in a manner such that they diverge in the shape of a V and bear against end sides of those end sections of the stay which are arranged in the same direction and run in a complementary manner to the clamp limbs. This solution functions in such a manner that, when the splash wall is deformed into the footwell, the bracket and with it the partial spindles which are mounted in an enclosed manner, are displaced in the deformation direction, while the stay, which is fastened to a crash-stable bodywork part, remains fixed in position and the clamp limbs moving toward it expands outward counter to the spring action and in the process pulls the partial spindles out of their enclosed mounting until the partial spindles are free.

[0010] In an embodiment according to claim 6, the bead-shaped bulge of the clamp limbs has the effect that the clamp limbs are arranged at a distance from the side walls of the bracket. The distance should correspond at least to the length of the thickened end of the partial spindles. This ensures that the partial spindles are held perpendicular with respect to the side walls of the bracket and do not tilt. The bead-shaped bulge moreover has the advantage that it has a stiffening effect on the resilient clamp limbs and reduces the frictional forces owing to the reduction in size of the contact surfaces.

[0011] The advantages mentioned and further advantages will be explained in the further description of exemplary embodiments, which are illustrated in the attached drawing.

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a pedal support in the initial state in a view from below.

[0013]FIG. 2 shows an end section of a clamp according to the detail 11 in FIG. 1, in a perspective illustration.

[0014]FIG. 3 shows the pedal support according to FIG. 1, but in a pressed-in state after a crash.

[0015]FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of a pedal support, in a perspective illustration.

[0016] The pedal support which is illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises partial spindles 1 and a bracket 2 which is fastened by means of lower limbs bent at right angles to a crash-deformable bodywork part, for example to the front splash wall in front of the footwell of a motor vehicle. The partial spindles 1 are mounted in an enclosed manner in the bracket 2. The partial spindles 1 are fastened to the parallel limbs 5 of a resilient clamp 4. Those parts of the clamp 4 which are arranged on the right and left of the bracket 2 are connected by a part (not illustrated) of the clamp 4 in such a manner that the parallel limbs 5 bear in a prestressed manner against the outside of the side walls of the bracket 2. The connecting part may, for example, run above or below the plane of projection. The fastening of the partial spindles 1 to the parallel limbs 5 can take place in a variety of ways, for example by riveting, welding or securely clamping. The partial spindles 1 are fastened to the thickened ends 7 which are arranged on the outside of the bracket 2. Those sections of the partial spindles 1, which protrude opposite into the interior of the bracket 2, are arranged perpendicular to the side walls of the bracket 2 and are aligned with one another.

[0017] In a viewing direction from the fastening limbs of the bracket 2, and therefore in the deformation direction in the event of a crash, behind the connecting point to the partial spindles 1, the parallel limbs 5 are bent obliquely to the side walls of the bracket 2 in a manner such that they diverge in the shape of a V. Those sections of the clamp 4 which are bent in the shape of a V bear against end sides of a stay 6. This stay 6 is fastened to a crash-stable bodywork part, for example to a crossmember. The sections of the stay 6, against which those sections of the clamp 4, which are bent in the shape of a V bear, run in the same direction. The two sections bearing against each other of clamp 4 and stay 6 are formed in a complementary manner. In this view from below, in the upper region of the illustration of the stay 6, a section of the stay 6 can be seen, which has a smaller height than its neighboring sections. This offset in height is intended to ensure that, in the event of a crash-induced deformation, the bracket 2 does not strike against the stay 6, but rather can move through below the latter.

[0018] The functioning of the pedal support in the event of a crash is envisaged in such a manner that, when the splash wall is deformed, the latter, and therefore the bracket 2 which is fastened to it, moves in the direction of the stay 6. Since the partial spindles 1 are mounted in an enclosed manner in the bracket 2 and are fastened to the parallel limbs 5 of the clamp 4, the clamp 4 is also moved in the same direction. Since those sections of the clamp 4 which are bent in the shape of a V bear against the end surfaces of the parallel end sections of the stay 6, which is fastened to a crash-stable bodywork part, the parallel limbs 5 of the clamp 4 spread apart during this forward movement. As soon as this expansion exceeds the length of those sections of the partial spindles 1, which project into the interior of the bracket 2, the partial spindles 1 are released from the mounting in the bracket 2.

[0019] As soon as the partial spindles 1 are removed from the mounting and no longer protrude into the interior of the bracket 2, the pedal level (not illustrated) which is mounted on the partial spindles 1 no longer has any support and falls freely into the footwell of the motor vehicle. As a result, the crash-induced risk of injury to the driver due to pedal lever projecting into the footwell is eliminated.

[0020]FIG. 2 illustrates an end section of the parallel limbs 5, which approximately corresponds to the detail 11 in FIG. 1, in a perspective view. The side edges of the parallel limb 5, which is illustrated here, are bent over vertically upward. The end of the limb 5 is rounded and, in the center of this rounded end, has a connecting hole 14 which is suitable for the fastening, for example for the riveting, of the thickened end of the partial spindles 1. A bead-shaped bulge, which runs around the connecting hole 14 on at least three sides, runs parallel to the edges. The bead-shaped bulge has a stiffening effect on the resilient clamp limbs.

[0021] With reference to the illustration in FIG. 2, the design of clamp 4 and parallel limb 5, which is illustrated cut away on the right-hand side of the illustration in FIG. 1, is readily comprehensible. The clamp 4 bears with the crests of the bead-shaped bulge 15 against the outside of the side walls of the bracket 2 and against the end surfaces of the bent ends of the stay 6. By means of the minimal contact surface between the crests and the supporting surfaces, the frictional force between the parts is correspondingly reduced. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the height of the bead-shaped bulge 15 is selected in such a manner that it is larger than the thickness of that part of the thickened end of the partial spindles 1 which bears against the bracket 2. As a result, a tilting of the partial spindles 1 is avoided by the parallel limbs to which the partial spindles 1 are fastened and which, because of their prestress, press against the outer side walls 3 of the bracket 2. This is important insofar as tilting of this type could lead to jamming when pulling the partial spindles 1 out of their enclosing mounting in the bracket 2.

[0022] In FIG. 3, the pedal support according to FIG. 1 is illustrated in a position as results after a crash-induced deformation of the bodywork part to which the bracket is fastened. The splash wall, which is indicated by dashed lines, to which the bracket 2 is fastened by its vertically angled limbs, has been displaced, in the case illustrated, in the direction of the stay 6 by the crash-induced deformation path 16. By means of this displacement, the clamp 4, and therefore its parallel limbs 5, is spread apart to such an extent that the partial spindles 1 are released from their enclosing mounting in the bracket 2. The pedal lever, which has previously been mounted on those sections of the partial spindles 1, which project into the interior of the bracket 2, therefore loses its support and can move freely. It falls to the floor of the footwell and no longer protrudes, fastened to the bodywork, into the footwell.

[0023] Another embodiment of a pedal support according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4. In this case, the thickened ends of the partial spindles 1 have a circumferential groove 8, which is arranged parallel to the side walls 3 of the bracket 2. The parallel limbs 5 have, transversely to the axial direction, an opening 9 which have the form of two circles which differ in diameter, are situated one behind the other in a crash-induced deformation direction and half overlap peripherally. In this arrangement, the diameter of the semicircle, which lies in front in the deformation direction corresponds to the diameter of the base of the groove, and the diameter of the circle lying behind it corresponds at least to the outside diameter of the thickened end of the partial spindle 1. In the initial state before a crash-induced deformation, the partial spindle 1 is fixed with its groove 9 in the smaller opening circle. Two compression springs 10 are arranged one behind the other between the partial spindles 1, said compression springs being separated by an internal web 12 of a bearing tube 11, which web runs parallel to the inner end surfaces of the partial spindles 1, and are supported on said internal web. The bearing tube 11 of the pedal extends between the side walls 3 of the bracket 2 and is mounted on those sections of the partial spindles 1 which project into the bracket 2. The clamp 4 is connected integrally to the stay 6 (not illustrated), which is fixed to a crash-stable bodywork part.

[0024] In the initial position before a crash, the partial spindles 1 are fixed to the parallel limbs 5, which bear fixedly against the side wall 3 of the bracket 2, by being attached with their circumferential groove 8 in the smaller semicircle of the opening 9. In this exemplary embodiment, the parallel limbs 5 of the clamp 4 are either stiff or have a spring resistance, which is much higher than the compression springs 10. As a result, the partial spindles 1, which are prestressed by the compression springs 10, are held in this position as long as the groove 8 is latched firmly in the smaller semicircle. If a crash-induced deformation of the splash wall (not illustrated), and hence a movement of the bracket into the footwell of the motor vehicle, then occurs, the bracket 2 with its enclosing mounting of the partial spindles in the side walls 3 carries the pedal spindle forward with it. As a result, the partial spindles 1 are displaced forward within the opening 9 to such an extent that the thickened ends are now positioned in the part of the opening whose diameter corresponds at least to the outside diameter of the thickened ends. As a result, the fixing of the partial spindles 1 to the parallel limbs 5 is neutralized and the partial spindles 1 can be pushed outward by the prestressed compression springs 10, so that sections of the partial spindles 1 no longer protrude into the interior of the bracket between the side walls 3. So that the support of the pedal bearing tube 11 is dropped out and is therefore freely movable. In such a case, it will fall onto the floor of the footwell and will no longer protrude into the footwell.

[0025] List of Reference Numbers

[0026]1 Partial spindle

[0027]2 Bracket

[0028]3 Side walls of the bracket

[0029]4 Clamp

[0030]5 Parallel limbs of the bracket

[0031]6 Stay

[0032]7 Thickened end of the partial spindles

[0033]8 Groove with thickened end

[0034]9 Opening

[0035]10 Compression spring

[0036]11 Pedal bearing tube

[0037]12 Internal web

[0038]13 End sections of the stay

[0039]14 Connecting hole with parallel limbs

[0040]15 Bulge of the parallel limbs

[0041]16 Crash-induced deformation path 

1. A pedal support for motor vehicles having a pedal spindle which has partial spindles (1) spaced apart in the axial direction, a bracket (2) in which the pedal spindle is mounted in an enclosed manner, the bracket (2) being fastened to a crash-deformable bodywork part, in particular to a front splash wall, and a stay (6) which is connected to a crash-stable bodywork part, in particular to a crossmember, being in engagement with parts of the pedal support, characterized in that the partial spindles (1) are connected to parallel limbs (5) of a clamp (4), which limbs bear against the outside of side walls (3) of the bracket (2), and spring forces act on the partial spindles (1) in the axial direction.
 2. The pedal support as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one tensioned compression spring (10) is arranged in the axial direction between the partial spindles (1) and bears against the inner end surfaces of the partial spindles (1), the parallel limbs (5) of the clamp (4) being connected fixedly to the stay (6), and the partial spindles (1) having a thickened end (7) protruding outward over the side walls (3) of the bracket (2), which thickened end together with the parallel limbs (5) forms a device for releasably fixing of the partial spindles (1) on the limbs (5).
 3. The pedal support as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the device for the releasable fixing of the partial spindles (1) is formed by the thickened ends (7) having a circumferential groove (8) arranged parallel to the side walls (3) and the parallel limbs (5) having, transversely to the axial direction, an opening (9) in the form of two circles which differ in diameter, are situated one behind the other in a crash-induced deformation direction and half overlap peripherally, the diameter of the semicircle which lies in front in the deformation direction corresponding to the diameter of the base of the groove and the diameter of the circle lying behind it corresponding at least to the outside diameter of the thickened end (7) of the partial spindle (1), and in the initial state before a crash-induced deformation, the partial spindle (1) being fixed with its groove (8) in the smaller opening circle.
 4. The pedal support as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that at least two compression springs (10) are arranged one behind the other between the partial spindles (1), said compression springs being separated and supported by at least one internal web (12) of a pedal bearing tube, which internal web runs parallel to the inner end surfaces of the partial spindles (1), the pedal bearing tube of the pedal extending between the side walls (3) of the bracket (2) and being mounted on those sections of the partial spindles (1) which project into the bracket (2).
 5. The pedal support as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the parallel clamp limbs (5) are resilient and, to the rear, in the deformation direction, of the connecting point (14) to the partial spindles (1), are bent obliquely to the bracket side walls (3) in a manner such that they diverge in the shape of a V and bear against end sides of those end sections of the stay (6) which are arranged in the same direction and run in a complementary manner to the clamp limbs (5).
 6. The pedal support as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the parallel clamp limbs (5) have, parallel to the edges, a bead-shaped bulge (15) which surrounds the connecting point (14) to the thickened end (7) of the partial spindle (1) on at least three sides. 